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WTWI
WTWI, virtual channel 5 (UHF digital channel 27), is an ABC-affiliated station licensed to Waterbury, Illinois and serving the Waterbury-Schiller Park-Grand Acres-Hobucken television market. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group as part of a duopoly with MyNetwork TV affiliate WILX. History The Golden Age (1948-1972) WTWI first went on the air under the call letters WBIL-TV '('W'ater'B'ury, '''IL'linois), and was the first television station in the Waterbury-Schiller Park-Grand Acres-Hobucken television market. It signed on as an affiliate of the DuMont Television Network, and added CBS several months later. Throughout the early 50s, the station carried 33.3% DuMont programming, 33.3% CBS programming, 16.6% NBC programming, and 16.6% ABC programming. In 1953, the station dropped NBC programming, and ABC a year later in 1954. This left them with a 50/50 split of DuMont and CBS programming. Following the shutdown of the DuMont Television Network on August 6, 1956, the station swapped affiliations with WGTS-TV, and became a full time ABC station. On September 23, 1962, the station made the transition from black and white to colour, around the time the ABC network was doing the same thing. In 1971 The station changed its call sign to '''WTWI, to reflect their new approach to programming. Modern Era (1972-present) Throughout the years, WTWI had changed in the ratings numerous times. In 1995, sister station WILX was launched, and tried to reach a more extreme vibe to television audiences. On June 12, 2009, the station shut down its analog signal after 61 years of serving the Good Four Cities. Analog Shutdown The station shut down its analog signal on June 12, 2009 at midnight. The final picture shown was a commercial for Huggies Slip on Diapers, during the June 12, 2009 edition of Nightline. After that, the analog signal cut to static permanently. Logos Over the Years WBIL_1957.png|1957 Station ID WTWI_1979.png|1979 Station ID WTWI_1980.png|1980 Station ID WTWI_1981.png|1981 Station ID WTWI_1982.png|1982 Station ID WTWI_1983.png|1983 Station ID WTWI_1984.png|1984 Station ID Together_on_Channel_5.png|1986 Station ID WTWI_1987.png|1987 Station ID WTWI_1992.png|1992 Station ID WTWI_1993.png|1993 Station ID WTWI Home Improvement 1995.png|Used during Season 5 airings of Home Improvement Trivia * The station has been affiliated with the same network longer than any station in the Good Four Cities, which it has carried ABC programming for 68 years and counting (The station had been a secondary ABC affiliate from 1949-1954, and has been a primary ABC affiliate since 1956). * The sign off video that WTWI aired during the late 1990s and most of the 2000s featured a group of people painting a large map of the United States, also showing some landmarks in the Good Four Cities and some clips of some programs it aired over the years. It's very similar to the sign off used by CBC and Radio-Canada O&Os during the same time, except its American themed instead of Canadian. Then the names of other ABC affiliates in the Midwest show on the screen, then it cut to a clip of some of America's famous landmarks with the national anthem in the background. Then cut to the programs WTWI was going to air the following day, followed by some notices, and then the cut to the coloured bars. **This same sign off was also used by WPDT, except all the ABC imagery is replaced by NBC, to reflect its affiliation with said network. Category:ABC affiliated stations Category:Nexstar Media Group Category:Television channels and stations established in 1948 Category:Channel 5 Category:Former DuMont affiliates Category:Former CBS affilates Category:Waterbury, Illinois Category:Illinois Category:Good Four Cities